Court Rules Surveillance of Scientology Legal

Deutsche Welle/February 13, 2008

A German court has deemed that the country's government is within its
rights to watch over the Church of Scientology. But the debate over
whether Scientology is a sect or a genuine religion is sure to
continue.

An administrative appellate court in Muenster handed down the verdict
in the case, brought by the Scientology organization, which challenged
an early decision allowing government surveillance.

The Muenster judges found that the Federal Office for the Protection
of the Constitution was within its authority to keep Scientologists
under observation.

In the statement announcing the verdict, the court said that there
were "numerous indications" that the Scientology organization promoted
a form of society "in which central constitutional values such as the
dignity of mankind and the right to equal treatment would be suspended
or restricted."

"In particular, there is the suspicion that in a scientological
society only Scientologists would enjoy civil rights," the court
decided.

The Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany's domestic
intelligence agency, has had Scientology under surveillance since
1997.

Misunderstood faith or public hazard?

The organization itself argued that it is a religious association that
does not pursue political goals in the sense of the laws established
to protect Germany's constitution.

But the court rejected the argument, deeming it irrelevant to a case
for or against surveillance.

Germany officially considers Scientology a business rather than a
religion. No charges have ever been brought as a result of government
surveillance.

Nonetheless, the court said the Scientology movement was "trying to
expand personally and to spread scientological principles more and
more within government, the economy and society.

Scientology was set up by author L. Ron Hubbard in 1954 in the United
States. The organization's official Web site describes its aims as
seeking "only evolution to higher states of being for the individual
and for society."

The German court also heard testimony concerning a number of
anti-democratic remarks made by Hubbard. The court found that no
evidence of the movement distancing itself from those opinions.

The Church of Scientology says it will appeal the ruling and called
for an end to the surveillance.

"The German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
should finally end this farce and turn its attention to real enemies
of the Constitution and real danger so as to do what it is there for:
to protect the German constitution and the basic rights of the
people," the organization said.

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